An initial deviation from the straight and narrow (or outdoor coffee table)

Much as I love planes, one problem is that they tend to produce straight square surfaces which are very inorganic and can be rather sterile in appearance. Great designs (of which this turned out not to be one), which pass test of time, tend to incorporate curves.

I had a family brief to make an outdoor table to go with a curved teak bench not more than 850mm long and be about 500mm high. That is rather high for such a small table and was to lead to problems later......

The material was entirely re-cycled Everest window boards and frames (for which there is no fate too horrible) and although the timber was technically hardwood, it had a consistency nearer to compressed cardboard. It appeared to be a low grade Sapele with the mandatory alternating grain.

The unpromising raw material

A bit of nervous nail avoidance and normal processing produced a pile of semi-decent raw material

I intended to use templates to form the curves and use the rebate block with bearings or the Felder router spindle with a template cutter. I decided to start with the top first and made up some templates from MDF for the tapered outer rails and curved ends. 

This initially required some school geometry to mark out. The multiple lines are other projects and ideas, not mistakes!!

I used the highly advanced batten and nail to mark the end radii and a bearing ring to blend the corners.

Completed template for the end. I made this full width to check the appearance although I would only use half the width at time before reversing the piece to run with the grain down both sides.

I made a double sided template to curve the outside rails, inner and outer.

And a similar template for the frame rails.

I glued up some blocks to make the curved section as I was short of wide boards and tenonned the ends on the spindle before shaping, using a false fence. I experimented with the, now superseded, Felder plastic anti-breakout block which worked well without a backing piece, just grazing the blade harmlessly. 

Tenoning the ends was done single sided on the spindle then flipped to ensure the tenon was central.  The false fence keeps everything under control and reduces the tendency to break out.

Here is a video of some of the moulding. I didn't have a suitable guard, but on template work it is possible to keep your digits a long way from the cutter, safely behind the template. 

I suppose I should say the guards were removed for photography - but they weren't.

Time to break out the spokeshaves for a clean up of the moulded edges. There have been several recent forum threads about the horrors of the spokeshave but I find if they are sharp, finely set and used skewed they are versatile and effective tools. In fact I enjoy using them and they enable many creative possibilities away from the "straight and narrow".

Excuse the exposed biscuit we can't all be perfect :-(

A dry run to see how it went together.

I tried PU foaming glue for the first time as it is supposed to be good for outside work. I don't like it as it is difficult to keep it off the surfaces as it foams and you then have a significant clean-up job afterwards. I gather you can wipe it off with acetone but I didn't have any to hand.

I spaced the slats with 8mm drills as per the drawing and it seemed to work out.

Once I'd cleaned off all the damned glue I set about chamfering the underside of the edge. I intended to use a tapered router bit in the spindle but it proved difficult to control with the weight of the top and the curves fell into the spindle aperture. I could have made up a full false fence but this was difficult with a bearing guided cutter so I marked it with a gauge and used the flat spokeshave which was quicker and easier.

I wanted to test some ideas on leg support using the minimum of cross rails and thought of a widish central spacer to prevent racking, between the side rails, which would transfer loads to all four legs whilst leaving the ends clear.

With the top made I turned my attention to the legs. I didn't see any point in thinning down the stock too much as they were 460 high and largely unsupported but this later contributed to the heaviness of the under frame appearance, so filed for future reference. The Finn Juhl method of a separate stiffener at right angles solves the problem nicely (see separate post on FJ table.)

I had made up a full size rod to prevent mistakes and transferred the angles on the ends of the legs before trimming to length on the dimension saw, using the angled fence. 

I started the long sides on the taper jig and cut out the blanks. I would normally use a crown guard with extraction but Doug had tidied it away to a place which I had not yet found :-) (I have now)

I profiled the side rails in the same way as the top and set out the joints which were dominoed but with Sapele doms to withstand the outside environment.

Owing to the curved end on the rail I had to use one side only of the narrow parts jig but this worked out fine.

Next came the end rails, dominoed to the legs. I decided to Kreg screw each slat to the rails so that they would be secure even if the glue began to fail. I also popped a Kreg into each leg.

The drill is not at an angle but I had to let go to take the picture!!

Finally a clean up before glueing up the frame. The aforementioned timber required the services of the BU smoother at high pitch to deal with the interlocked grain and I used my patent full width bench stop which is less likely to allow the component to slip off (especially with panels)

The bench stop

As is my habit, I glued up on the building board to keep everything flat and true.

More bubbling squeeze to deal with.

It took ages to clean up but the joints seem strong. I am using the top as a stressed member (much like Tim Yeo today :-))) to minimise framework, but the loads are shared between all the members and the finished table is very rigid.

I think the main problem is the heavy frame could take a larger top but that was pre-determined. I like the combination of tapered legs and curved rails but would refine the proportions next time.

I realise it is not to everyone's taste but it's a bit quirky and it's growing on me. It is finished in Sikkens Cetol Marine (a yacht varnish) for outside survival.

Thanks for looking an please post your opinions - I really am interested and pleased to receive them, good or bad.

First ride on the new Moulton

After much wrestling with ebay I finally managed to secure a decent Moulton, with some nice gear, at a price I was prepared to pay. It is astonishing and depressing how people will pay high prices for rubbish and how many bandits there are out there. This was one of a pair, apparently owned by an old couple, and they had gradually improved them by the addition of Shimano gears, wheels, hubs and V brakes and Stronglight chainsets. It is 1994 vintage and still in the original aqua colour and generally good nick. I think I got the ladies version as it had tiny toe clips and a short stem which I will need to change.

Anyway after a bit of initial spannering to remove bells and racks and adjust the brakes, gears and suspension, it was time for a trial ride. I was very impressed by general handling and the effect of the suspension, which makes it very stable, particularly on bumpy, high speed corners and completely eliminated the bashing I normally suffer on my hands. The current tyres are a bit agricultural but over-inflated to 100 psi resulted in fine free wheeling speed. Gear changing is particularly smooth by virtue of the smaller and faster spinning wheels but is currently a bit short on the top end.

I intend to use this as a road bike and so will not make too much use of the separating facility but it is there if needed for packing in the car boot. All up weight is similar to my hybrid but it is certainly less and faster than the Brompton, which is my commuter machine.

All in all well pleased and looking forward to some fine tuning in due course.

It may be boring to you but it is rivetting to me :-) (it's my living)

In my day job I am a bulk handling engineer and we use steel backed, wear resistant rubber to line chutes, hoppers and trucks. Fixing this is not easy and we often need to counterbore up to 120mm into the rubber at 60mm dia.

After much struggle and smoke I came across a 1930's engineering manual which suggested some cutting and clearance angles for machining rubber. I made up a boring bar with a mandrel guide to run in a pre-drilled pilot hole (which would later take the fixing)  and ground up some cutters from HSS steel lathe blanks.

The results speak for themselves, clean hole and shaving, rather than smoke and gunge.

A classic example of not re-inventing the wheel.

Built in torsion-box shelves

I wanted to put some shelves in an alcove of a new apartment between metal stud walls. Being new the walls were perfectly square and plumb!!! and tapered almost 10mm, inwards from back to front. This posed the first problem that if I used invisible fixing of some sort they would not slide in from the front.

The solution was to make tapered side cleats, screwed to the wall, leaving a parallel tongue to allow the shelves to slide in. 

First the torsion box shelves themselves. Foolishly I decided to use 6mm oak veneered ply which was a nightmare to keep flat and it would have been much better to use MDF.

I glued the framework which was roughly tongued together onto the first side and clamped it to the bench.

 The cross braces had a sawn tongue each end which located in a groove along the front and back rails to ensure a level.

The full depth front rail was glued to the font of the frame to allow for a radiussed edge later.

 Fitting the other face was much more difficult than I had thought owing to the wild ply and I used every cramp I had and more.

 It were a reet thrutch to get it all together but we made it in the end.

Finally a pair of very strong shelves which had no flex at all.

The front rail overhung the sides which were grooved in preparation for the cleats

The cleats were planed up with a loose tongue screwed and glued in place. The counterbores came perilously close to the edge but I just made it :-)

Test run before installation

A bit of a clean up, radius the front edge and they were ready for fitting

Alan Peters Oak bench circa 1980 ish

I recently sent an oak bench back to it's maker after a 1/3rd century faithful service. It really was on it's last legs even before my daughter's then boyfriend put his foot through one of the rotten seat rails. Even so 33 years is not bad for untreated oak outdoors.

The original design was by Alan Peters and published in the Woodworker about 1980. You can clearly see the influence of his Japanese adventure, which influenced much of his work, and his Barnsley Arts and Crafts background.

I took measurements and made a sketch before putting it onto the firewood pile so I intend to make a modified version shortly. I'll put the drawing up on here later for anyone who is interested.

This was a far cry from the youthful chippy who was so proud of his first hardwood job, made at the local school evening class with wooden jack planes and hand tools. I chickened out halfway and got my brother in law to put the back slats through the thicknesser at work. It was all in air dried English Oak with drawbored, pegged and wedged M & T's throughout.

I was so into natural things I fastened the slats with oak pegs knocked into the frame. Amazingly they held tight for the full distance.  What finally killed it was rain getting into the exposed tenon ends in the top of the front legs.

We weren't off to a medieval banquet, that was the Laura Ashley "look" of the time, beautiful English ethnic!

Hanging the ship lap door

With the door made and all the hard to find hardware collected, or dug up from boxes where it had lain undisturbed for several years, it was time to say goodbye to our long suffering sheet of shuttering ply.

Friend Doug was on hand and made an excellent job of installing the frame. I was concerned about the weight of the door so we dropped a couple of hammer screws through the cill to eliminate any chance of the door pushing the bottom of the glass wall out when open.

Yes I know it is a big step but the patio will be lifted to match.

Time for a Stella?

At this point I had to depart for a culinary extravaganza  of Barium soufflé at the local hospital so I left Doug to carry on (not that I had actually done a great deal myself so far).

When I got back all was not well. My original 100m roll of seal had run out so I'd bought 10m from Germany via ebay but it compressed to 7mm rather than 2mm so the door would not close.

UKIP supporters may like to be made aware that this would not be possible under Faragism, along with a fair chunk of other vital trade, but don't let any minor inconveniences like that get in the way of the populist lunacy.

Doug was not happy but at least it was Friday. I unhinged the door and the shuttering ply got a reprieve for an extra night.

The warts 'n' all section!

I set about finishing the job the following day and it took all of 10 hours to complete. It is fortunate I am not trying to earn my living at this game!

I had to move the 8mm x 4mm seal groove back 4mm and cut one of the rebates back to suit. I used the Biscuit jointer as a slotter and milled out a 12mm square groove back to the new position.

I milled out some 12mm filler strips from some cherry offcuts and glued them into the groove.

I had a sandwich while the glue went off then trimmed off the excess with the excellent track saw.

Nicely set for a quick clean up with my favourite and much used skew rebate planes

A new grip leaving my other hand to steady the door.

Again the combination of left and right handed planes proved useful.

I put an extra rain drip in the door bottom as a precaution although there will be an external drip rail planted on the outside. All ready for some Sikkens and a re-build

The new oversize seal going in. It really is an excellent product and, being a compression face-seal, way ahead in performance terms compared to the usual UK furry stuff.

I fitted the handles and strikers along with shoot bolts top and bottom so I think it is pretty secure. It was a bit of a lump to balance on a lifting lever but Ro helped and we managed to get it back on it's pins. This time it shut first time and a little adjustment had everything working smoothly. Fortunately the seal also acts as a damper so it doesn't shut with the sort of bang we expected.

I am really pleased with the appearance and functionality but I would make a few less mistakes if I made another - as ever.

It certainly isn't lacking in the hinge department and I could probably have omitted the 4th one in the centre. Then again when you pick it up ......better safe than sorry, but it does clash with the handle.